Add a new page

Participants:

K'lian questions Andi's clothing, her choices, her dreams - and then offers her a different sort of future.

Rating:

PG

Logger:

Andi

Eastern Weyr: Living Cavern
The main Living Cavern at Eastern Weyr is a near replica of the "Lower Bowl" in shape. It is circular, with ceilings sloping up into a gentle cone shape. There are a few stalactites hanging from the ceiling, from which the Weyr's few firelizards may perch. Between these, there are a few inverted "hills", showing exactly how quickly the workmen finished this job. It lends an eerie quietness to the place, as the features cut the sound more effectively. The glowbaskets on the walls highlight the tables of all shapes and sizes around the room. The Head Table appears to be more traditional in place and kind, but the rest of the tables are variable. The east side of the room boasts larger rectangle tables suitable for whole groups of riders, while the middle holds smaller circular tables more appropriate for a family with children. The west side of the room has small square tables which often double as gaming tables on lazy days and most evenings.
Near the Head table, off to the East side, the double doors of the kitchen swing open. Near those doors, two long rectanglular tables are set up for food and drink service. On the eastern and western sides of the room, the stairs lead up to parallel hallways which connect to the rest of the Weyr. A third, smaller set of stairs at the southernmost end of the cavern leads to the Weyr Entrance.

It seems that Andi's bulldog has found something else to occupy his time, her slightly elder brother Liril absent as Andi is once more making her way into the Living Caverns, in search of some sort of late lunch. Steps are short and awkward, as the young woman is still stuck in clothing that suits the ladies of the Holds far better than those of a Weyr expected to pull their own weight, and a hand pauses absently on her stomach as she catches her breath, glancing over the food, taking a look for her brother, before she's hastily sticking a few meatrolls on her plate, already beginning to enjoy them as she slips towards the closet table, eager to finish them before Liril's return.

Yanking goggles away from face, K'lian strides into the Living Caverns and shoves the goggles into a pocket as he starts undoing his riding jacket. A hand is run through hair and he casts a somewhat lost look around, still uncertain about his bearing here at Eastern. The smell of food, however, is what does it for him and the bluerider makes a quick trek in that direction. "Hello," he says simply in Andi's direction, looking over her clothing briefly.

Andi offers a little curtsey to K'lian as rider passes her by, plate hurriedly slide to the closest tabletop, fingers brushed off in an entirely unladylike manner, the young woman on her best manners, considering somewhere around lurks that brother and his high standards. "Sir." She offers quickly, after awkwardly swallowing her mouthful, fingers curling in her overskirt. Eyes dart past him to each entrance way in turn, and only then does she allow herself a longer look at the rider, trying carefully to be discrete.

There's a slight grunt from K'lian as he loads up a plate. Nice and tall. He's tired, but mostly hungry. His stomach rumbles, perhaps even audibly. "K'lian. I'm no sir, just your everyday bluerider." Once the plate is full, he swiftly procures himself a mug of klah and plunks down near to Andi. At the same table, at least. "What's a lass dressed as fine as you doing here? There's far too much dirt and construction going around."

"Sorry, sir." Andi replies again, despite his comment about being a normal bluerider, the soft lilt of her voice carrying easily. As he seems distracted, Andi is taking that time to hurriedly work her way through another meatroll, and then start on a third, her pace slowing however as the rider joins her, and she's looking a little sheepish, glancing down at her clothing, a hint of pink touching her nose. "I.. I'm a scribe in training, sir." She murmurs. "My… My Lord brother believes that… That I should dress according to my station." And her voice is still a little hesitant as she explains, pale eyes still keeping an eye out for said Lord brother.

"Lord brother?" K'lian ventures, picking up on that. "So you're hold bred. How'd you end up here?" He stuffs his face in between questions, not at all neat in his eating. Despite being past his teens, he still eats like he is one. "Scribe or not, proper or not, does your Lord Brother realize that a Weyr in construction might only serve to ruin your clothing? There's proper and there's sensible." He points at her with a fingerroot. "/That/ is not sensible."

There's a slight wince from Andi, before she's nodding slowly. "Lady Andromeda, daughter of Boll." Her voice is even, the oft-practiced phrase slipping from her lips without her even needing to think about it, shoulders pushed back in the manner engrained in her all those turns ago. "It just requires.. care." She hazards slowly, trying to defend her brother's viewpoint, no matter how much she may disagree with it. "It.. It is not as if they expect me to dig."

"But say a dragon flings some dirt up, or it falls as they haul a rock away." K'lian points out, eyebrows raised somewhat. "There are Ladies from the mining holds in Crom that wear outfits that look presentable, fit them well, but are still easily washed and tended to." He shrugs a bit, leaning back as he slows in his eating some. He even takes a break to sip at the klah. "I just don't think you want to entrust such finery to the laundry in a Weyr."

"Crom is not Boll, rider, sir." Andi says softly, her voice quivering a little bit under his continued questions and comments, licking her lips awkwardly, dropping her gaze to her lap, where fingers fold and unfold. "It is what I'm expected to do." She says simply, as if that very reason is enough to counter all the possible arguments that can be made.

"I know it's not, but they do that because of the mining. How dirty it can be and how dirty their work can be. You aren't at Boll anymore, are you, Lady Andromeda?" K'lian sets down his klah and goes back to his food, swiftly clearing his plate. "Isn't part of your… training or whatever you sorts get about how to adapt and understand the different areas? Crom is not Boll. Eastern is not Boll and you shouldn't treat it like it is. If your Lord Brother doesn't understand that, than he probably has a lot to learn about diplomacy."

"Not.. for now." She says softly, shaking her head, swallowing hurriedly to try and stall the tears that threaten, her chin still pressed to her chest as she sits there, fingers plucking at her skirts. Silent for a long moment, her shoulders curl as he takes a shot at her brother, and she hurriedly looks across the table at him. "I do my duty. You do yours." She whispers, tone almost a hiss.

"Fine then." K'lian says with an easy tone, pushing from the table and getting to his feet. He gestures at Andi. "C'mon, get up. Time to do my duty, then? Twylaeth," must be his lifemate, "is just outside. Let's go see him." He picks up his klah, watching her intently as he drains the rest of the warm liquid.

Andi hesitates for a moment, blinking up at K'lian as he stands and then mentions going outside. "W-what, sir?" She stammers, blinking a few more times. And then, with a soft sigh she's doing just what she's been trained to do, being obediant, as she gets to her feet, skirt and underskirt gathered with practiced grace as she escapes the chair, offering another little curtsy to him, a bob of her head, enough to show that she's following, just like he asked.

"I was going to wait and enjoy a leasurely lunch, but since you're so adamant about duty…" K'lian is saying as he takes long strides towards the stairs, likely to get out to the bowl, "might as well do it now. Twylaeth seems to prefer that anyway." He glances over his shoulder, likely to ensure that she /is/ following.

"Sir.." Andi speaks up for just a moment as he speaks of lunches and duty, even as she keeps up with many short steps, skirts held just high enough to keep her free free, while the tightly laced bodice keeps her from protesting too loudly as they walk. Following she most definitely is, a polite distance behind the bluerider, letting him lead.

"Yes?" K'lian calls over his shoulder, keeping up his steady pace. He blinks a few times as they exit the caverns into sunlight tempered by rain. A hand shields his eyes as he glances around. "Twy, you know you disappear into this kind of weather," he murmurs, seemingly to himself. Soon the blue approaches nearer, barely even letting them out from the entrance fully into the bowl proper. Kil approaches a foreleg and shoves at it. "C'mon, let her get out here fully, won't you?"

Andi winces as they step out into the bowl, even as she's stopped short by the presence of the blue, blinking a few times up at the dragon, shrinking just a little bit, her eyes dropping to watch her step, skirts picked up a little further to keep them from the ground, her slippers carefully placed in the spots that seem the least muddy. "Why, sir?" She finally asks, even as she gives Twy a little bow of his own.

"Just doing my duty," K'lian states enigmatically. There is the edge of a chuckle to his tone. Twylaeth extends his head down towards the girl, whuffling gently. It may still come across as a heavy breeze with the proximity. Never mind the dragon breath. A green eyes tinged with blue levels on the girl before the great head shifts to regard the rider. There's a faint, deep rumble. Kil glances to his lifemate, then to Andi. "So, Lady Andromeda. Are you totally sold on being a scribe? Is that what you want in your life?" He's treating it like a normal conversation, leaning on Twy's foreleg.

Andi narrows her gaze at him a little as he neatly sidesteps any sort of real answer, before there's suddenly a dragon -right there- and even the young lady who at least is familiar with them if not entirely comfortable is finding herself face to face with the blue, biting her lip and offering another little bow. "Its not my life…" She replies, turning to glance at him. "I.. I'm a Lord Holder's daughter. I'll be a Lady of my own right, some day." However, even as she says it, there is a hint of doubt in her voice.

"You sure?" K'lian inquires, patting Twylaeth's leg. His eyes unfocus briefly and the blue lumbers away a few paces. Certainly far enough for there to be breathing room. The rider strides nearer until he's standing in front of Andi. "Is being a Lady Holder what you really want for yourself? I don't think it is, else you wouldn't be here. You'd be off finding yourself some man to marry so you could start having babies." He hooks thumbs into belt loops and levels a more serious expression on her. "I have an alternative."

Certainly, there's signs of Andi relaxing, at least briefly, as the blue backs up a little, and she gives him a long look, blinking at K'lian as he once again questions her words, her choices, her motives. Fingers curl in her skirt, and she slowly nods. "Its.. Not about what I want." She dares to voice, but then as he's leveling that look at her, she's not making any attempt to stop him from speaking.

"There you go." K'lian says, flashing her a grin. "Was that so hard?" He rolls his shoulders back, rolling back onto heels. "Life planned out for you or not, your opinions and thoughts still belong to you. Even if you /have/ to get married someday, you don't have to lie to yourself about it. No one can control your thoughts or feelings." He digs around in his pockets, but doesn't seem to find what he's looking for. "How would you feel about exchanging that knot of yours? Your clothes, too. And duties. Really, what I should be asking, is how would you feel about an all new chance in life?"

"Its not-" And then there's a pause, the young woman blinking at the blue, and then over her shoulder at the caverns. "What…" She starts slowly, perhaps unsure of what the bluerider is asking, or perhaps unwilling to assume what the bluerider is getting at.

"Faranth," K'lian says with a sharp exhale. He glances over his shoulder at Twylaeth and grunts. "I was /never/ this bad." Then back to Andi and he drops his hands to his sides. "This would be easier if I had the right knot. Look," he steps closer to the girl and reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder if she allows it. "Twylaeth thinks you've got the stuff. Would you be willing to Stand as a Candidate?"

The hand on her shoulder causes her to freeze in place, eyes widening a little as he verifies exactly what she thought he meant, and she stands there, rather dumbfounded for a moment. "My fa-" And then she seems to think about what her father would actually have her do, slowly pushing her shoulders back and taking as deep of a breath as she can before she nods. "Y-Yes sir." She agrees, rather hesitantly, though certainly thankful that Liril is still somewhere else - that news certainly will be less than pleasant when shared with the hotheaded young man.

K'lian grins broadly and steps back, shoving hands in his riding jacket's pockets. "Wonderful!" He looks Andi up and down, "You do have work clothes, don't you? Now you /will/ be getting dirty. If you don't, I'm sure something can be found for you." He rubs at his chin. "You'll have to move your things into the barracks… Weyrling. Proper candidate barracks aren't built yet." He looks over his shoulder to Twylaeth and back to Andi. "Twy says to remind you that candidates cannot drink or have relationships, though I imagine we won't have to worry about that with you. You also can't leave the Weyr without a rider along and once the eggs are closer to hatching, you can't leave at all."

Glancing down at her clothes, Andi swallows and nods, blushing a little. "I.. I do. Or.." At least something that's far more appropriate than her current getup. As he gives her the list of rules, of changes, she nods carefully to each, taking it in stride, trying to keep her face from showing any emotion. "Yes.. Yes sir. And.. Of.. Of course not sir." She murmurs, trying to reassure him that she understands, though there is a bit of pink on her nose at the mention of relationships.

"Good, good." K'lian says with a broad grin. "Good luck on those Sands. Remember, there's two clutches to be out there. Don't feel too bad if you don't Impress the first go, you very well may the second." He pats his pockets again, then remembers with a brief sigh. "Right then. A knot. If you want to go get settled into the barracks, I'll go find a knot and have it brought to you."

"T-Thank you." Andi offers, her fingers lingering on the knot that's on her shoulder, still perhaps a little bit reluctant to give it up despite the new one that will be brought to her. Another little bow is to given to each of them in turn, before she's hesitating, and then gathering up her skirts and fleeing before the bluerider can change his mind or question her motives. And before her brother can happen upon them before she can concoct some sort of explanation or defense.